This week you should gained an understanding of the meaning of stress and strain – you can find a recap on the definitions in the pdf below. We looked at the stresses in membranes and how the curvature influences the stress levels and requirements of the supporting structure. In the second part of the week, we switched attention to energy absorption, dissipation and transmission by structures. Again, the pdf below recaps on the expressions describing stresses induced by membrane loading and torques. You can use the pdf to reflect on what you have covered this week.

What’s next?

Next week we will consider bending of beams and redundancy in structures. I will use limp paperbacks and redundant shoulder-bags to illustrate these concepts – they don’t sound like super structures, so how about the Burj Khalifa.